New Mexico - 2010 and 2013
I visited Albuquerque and Santa Fe on the Memorial Day weekend, in 2010. This was part of a 2015 mile road trip to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Sedona and the Grand Canyon. I wanted to go on a hot-air balloon ride in Albuquerque, but those rides are at sunrise, and I didn't feel like getting up that early. I thought Santa Fe was prettier than Albuquerque. The staircase in Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe was remarkable. I had some delicious Mexican food in both places.
In 2013, I took a 3400 mile road trip to Texas around Labor Day. I stopped for the night in El Paso. The next day, I took a small detour to Carlsbad Caverns, where I was able to spend 5 hours before driving on to San Antonio. I hiked into the caverns, using the Natural Entrance route. This is a 1 mile route that follows the traditional explorers route, and descends 750 feet. I then took a self-guided tour of the Big Room, which is the size of 14 football fields. It takes about 1 to 1.5 hours just to walk around the perimeter of the Big Room. After lunch, I took a ranger-led tour of the King's Palace. This is a 90 minute, 1 mile hike that descends 850 feet into the deepest part of the caverns, and goes to 4 highly decorated scenic chambers. At one point during this tour, the ranger turns off all the lights. I hold my hand up in front of my face. It is so dark, that even though my brain tells me my hand is right there, I can't see it. A number of Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the caverns. Every day, from early spring to October, the bats come out at dusk to feed, and return at dawn. This can be viewed from the outdoor amphitheater. When they return, each bat positions itself high above the cave entrance, then folds its wings close to its body and plummets like a stone into the cave. Because of the limited time I had, I was not able to watch this.
Clicking on the first picture below will show you photos of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Clicking on the second picture will direct you to Picasa where you can view photos of Carlsbad Caverns. In Picasa, the mobile site does not show you any captions.
Albuquerque and Santa Fe
Carlsbad Caverns
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| Carlsbad Caverns 2013 |
